The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-06-01
Agricultural.
Applying Manures.

In speaking of this we shall refer to
the manner of doing only, and not to
the amount. The average farmers
trouble will generally be to secure
enough of it, unless he holds, with the
former secretary of the Board of Agri-
culture, that four or five loads per acre
are sufficient. A few years since the
general cry was: "Spread the manure
on the land after you pillow and harrow
it in. Pulverize and mix it with the
soil. Don't pillow in manure and put
it down where it will do no good
where the roots of the plants can
not reach it, There was good
deal of manure spread on top for a year
or two, but now we observe that good
many farmers are spreading the manure
on the sod and blowing it in. We, like
many others, were a follower of the
spreading-on-top idea; but contrive
the best we could, and with the most
improved implements we could procure,
there would be a good many small
Jumps or masses of manure which
would remain on top of the soil, and
great deal more which was near enough
to it to be dry and hard in dry sea-
son-and in that condition they were
of just as much value to the growing
crop as so many stones. We take it
that the rootlets of growing plant do
not tackle bit of manure and take it
in, as the tuneful robin gathers in the
troublesome angle-worm, at gulp.
Manure, to be of benefit to the plant,
must be moist enough to have plant
nutrition in liquid form, and on dry
land in an ordinary season good deal
of that which is "spread top" does not
reach that condition, and therefore re-
mains valueless to the then growing
crop.
Concerning the objection to blowing
in as putting it below the reach of the
crop, we must say that on old land it
has no force whatever. Farmers do
not as a rule pillow more than six to
eight inches deep, and in turning the
furrow but small part of the manure
reaches the bottom of the furrow, espe-
cially on mellow soil. Then, if corn
is planted, what with marking and
planting with planter half, or nearly
half, of the depth of the furrow is taken
to where the seed finds place; and with
roots which completely fill the soil, as
some writers assert, to much greater
depth than the furrow turns, where is
the danger of the manure getting be-
low the reach of the roots? We think
there is none. We have plowed in the
manure on our old land for corn, and
it gives much better results than where
we spread it on top and attempt to har-
row it in.
Concerning manure there is another
point on which there is considerable
uncertainty and disagreement-arisi
perhaps, from using the same terms for
different things-and that is liquid ma
nure. We remember hearing a gentle
man at a meeting of the Board of Ag-
riculture relate his experience in rig
ging up tank to catch the urine from
his cows in as nearly pure a condition as
possible. This he applied to his crops
without appreciate good results, and
he considered it comparatively worth
less. Mr.. Allen Morse writes of a sim
liar instance in the Rural Vermonter.
Following Mr.. Morse's note, sc. G.
H." writes of liquid manure, of which
he had not supposed any one ques-
toned the value. He cannot see how
it could have been used without effect.
But this is the kind of liquid manure
he had used with such excellent re-
suits: CATER a rain have dipped up
pals of liquid manure that 1 found
in the barn-yard and applied it to Gu
cumbers and other garden vegetables"
This is an entirely different thing than
that named in the other case, and from
what is generally understood by liquid
manure, which is the liquid portions of
the excrements of animals. In the
case named by G. G. h. if the ma
nure had any valuable properties he
would be very likely to find the most
readily soluble portions in the liquid
which had soaked through it.
More than one good farmer has tried
the application of urine, or liquid ma
nure, without practical benefit, but
whether from improper quantities or
incorrect methods of application, who
shall sayP Chemistry shows liquid ma
nure (urine) to be valuable-more so
than the solid portions voided by the
same animal. Is chemistry and grow
ing crops in dispute, or is there some
mistake about it?